This is a little different for me. People complain that I do not often feature the confrontation, This story is all confrontation. It is also short. There is no sex in this story, if that’s what you want look elsewhere. No bitches get burned so again if that’s your bag look elsewhere. The inspiration came from an old rock starwho came out with something similar when he wanted to get rid of his wife.

I looked down the street towards the main road. Four estate agents boards graced the immaculate lawns of the houses in The Close. In the other direction, there were two more.

‘Oh dear, that’s going to hurt the price of property,’ I thought. ‘It will be worse still when the next two go up for sale.’

My attention was focussed on the house, three doors up on the opposite side of the road. Gary and Jessica Spencer live there. They are probably the youngest couple in close. He’s a financial adviser, she is a management consultant. Both what I would call Yuppies’ that’s Young Upwardly mobile Professional People. Gary works from home but Jess, she’s frequently away on business.

I noticed a movement over at the Spencer’s. I picked up the binoculars and took a closer look. She was drawing the curtains in the master bedroom. She looked good standing there in her bra and pants. For her age she still had a magnificent body. She picked up her clothes and I saw him walk across the room to the en-suite bathroom.

‘What does she see in him?’ I asked myself. He doesn’t look that big and his body looked flabby. She stepped into her skirt then picked up her white blouse and threaded her arms into it. She was still buttoning her blouse as she left the room. Gary came out of the bathroom wearing his boxer shorts I watched him buckle up the belt on his jeans he didn’t bother with a shirt and I noticed his man boobs wobble as he followed her out of the room.

‘What now?’ I wondered. ‘Would they sit and chat over a glass of wine or maybe a cup of coffee, or maybe he would just get straight down to business. I waited another fifteen minutes before there was any movement. The side gate opened and she stepped out. I couldn’t see him but she turned and kissed someone. Walking down the drive she turned and waved before crossing the road. My wife was coming home to me.

The sound of my boots echoed through the house as I came down the stairs and walked out to take my seat in the conservatory. The side gate opened and I listened to the click clacking of her heals as she walked along the concrete path. She was smiling as she opened the door and I tried to place the tune she was humming as she walked through the arch into the dining room.’

‘There are a lot of houses for sale in the close. I wonder why that is?’

I saw her jump as I spoke her hand came up to rest on her, not inconsiderable chest. She turned to see me sitting in the Rattan chair.

‘Giles, what are you doing here? You almost gave me a heart attack.’

‘Well, it’s wonderful to see you too my dear.’

‘You know what I mean. I’m pleased to see you, of course I am, but I wasn’t expecting you back for another two days. What did you just say.’

‘I asked if you knew why there are so many houses for sale in the close. I thought you women were all as thick as thieves, so if anyone would know it would be you.’

‘As a matter of fact I don’t. It’s strange I haven’t seen any of the girls since we took Alex up to Durham. I was supposed to meet Sally for Coffee on the Monday morning but you insisted that we stay overnight so I missed it. we haven’t managed to get together since.’

‘Well I saw Sally and Eric in the pub last Monday. Things seemed a little tense between them. When Eric went to the toilet Sally confided in me. It seems old Eric had an affair four years back and Sally just found out about it. They are trying to work through it, but the other woman lives in the close and Sally wants to get as far away from her as possible.’

I noticed some of the blood drain from her face as she heard my news. You see it a lot in my line of business. The person you are interrogating thinks you know nothing so you drop a hint that you know a hell of a lot more. Suddenly they are no longer on firm ground and their mind races trying to work out how much you do know. She froze for a while before starting to twirl her hair round her fingers.

‘Don’t you think it strange that Sally should confide in me and not you, her best friend Isobel?’

She started to fidget again. ‘Now that you’re home I’d better get dinner started, unless you’d rather go out?’

She moved towards the freezer, stopped, then walked backwards to look at me again.

‘Giles, what on earth are you wearing?’

I stood up pulled the top part of the one piece leather suit up to my shoulders an thrust my arms into the sleeves I twirled around in front of her with my arms outstretched.

‘Do you like it? I thought the colours particularly appropriate. Red white and blue, Queen and Country and all that.’

‘It looks ridiculous, a man of your age wearing motorcycle leathers, and as for Queen and Country, it must be twelve years since you left the army and became a... ‘

She’s racking her brain trying to think of what it is that her husband does all day.

‘Security consultant, Darling, I became a security consultant. That’s how I earn my living and a pretty good living it has been, has it not?’

‘I knew, you didn’t have to tell me, I couldn’t find the words that’s all. Yes, I suppose it has been pretty good, I mean we live here, in the close, and we don’t want for anything so I suppose you could say that we live quite well.’

‘Exceeded the promise I made to your father, wouldn’t you say? I promised to keep you in the manner to which you’d become accustomed. I think I’ve done rather better than that. Still you might have to cut back a bit now that I’ve retired.’

She dropped the oven dish she’d taken from the cupboard. When a cast iron dish hits a ceramic tiled floor neither one comes off particularly well.

‘Isobel. you really must be more careful. The dish is easily replaced but who knows if we can even get another of those tiles.’

‘Screw the tiles, you stand there in motorcycle leathers tell me you’ve retired. What is this some sort of midlife crisis? When were you going to talk to me about this?’

‘Well, I wasn’t really, I didn’t think it was your concern. Just like you obviously thought that you fucking Eric was no concern of mine.’

Now that one really did strike home, she wavered and had to hold onto the island unit for support. Almost there, now for another blow.

‘Of course you know that Tom and Helena are divorcing. I must say that took me by surprise, they were like love’s young dream when they moved in three years ago.’

It was almost a whisper, I had to ask her to repeat it.

‘Do you know why?’

‘Sally didn’t know for sure. all she could give me was rumour and you know how much I hate spreading rumours.’

She grabbed a stool and sat down. ‘What does the rumour say?’

‘What, Oh just that Tom had a bit on the side, but I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s just a rumour.’

Now she was really pale maybe I’ll get another one in before she has to visit the bathroom.

‘You know it set me thinking, with so many houses going up for sale at the same time, I wonder if there is a common link. We know about two, can you think of anything that links the other two?’

‘Excuse me, I need to use the toilet.’

She got up and made a run for the downstairs toilet. It seemed like a good time for a coffee. I set the machine going, enjoying the aroma as it ground the beans then produced the desired black liquid. I was still drinking my coffee when she emerged from the toilet. The make up was all washed off and she was starting to look her age. She was still looking somewhat shaken but had obviously decided that attack was the best form of defence.

‘I thought you would have changed out of that ridiculous suit by now.’

‘What for I will need it again soon?’

‘So there is a bike to go with it?’

‘Oh, it’s not just a bike, it’s a Ducati Panigale capable of more than 160 miles an hour.’

‘What do you want something like that for? The national speed limit is seventy. Oh I get it. It’s to compensate for your other little problem. I’ve heard about men buying muscle cars when they can’t get it up anymore.’

I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘As I said I’m retiring I need something to replace the buzz of jumping out of an aeroplane at ten thousand feet.’

‘Oh come off it, you’re a bloody consultant. Consultants don’t jump out of aeroplanes.’

‘Well, it’s all a matter of semantics really. Some people prefer to call us mercenaries or soldiers of fortune, I think security consultant sounds so much nicer.’

She sat down again her mouth gaping in disbelief.

‘Are you telling me that for the last twelve years you’ve been working as a mercenary, why didn’t I know.’

‘Because you were never interested. You didn’t really want to know. Do you really think that some office waller spends three or four months at a time in African countries. I’ve told you before that I deal with governments. That means training, redesigning their armies and, yes, fighting. War has been privatised my dear. Whenever a government wants a dirty job done, but don’t want any comebacks, they call on people like me. Did you never wonder how come a consultant sustained some of the injuries I had?’

‘You said they were accidents.’

‘They were, you don’t think I tried to get hit?’

‘But you broke your leg in Cape Town. you came home on crutches.

So I did, it was definitely broken. It just wasn’t a car accident. Shrapnel wounds look much the same as the tear from a compound fracture.’

I watched her trying to absorb all that I had told her. What she thought was a comfortable little life.

‘I’ve been married to a stranger for the last twenty years.’

‘Not really, for the first eight years I was exactly who you thought I was. The question is are you the woman I thought you were? It seems you are not.’

‘Now hang on there. You can’t blame me for finding a little comfort, It’s not like I get anything from you. I’ve never held your problem against you. I never even brought it up. I’m only human Giles I have needs which you haven’t met for a long time.’